Lock



A. s. FALLS.

' LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 14, 1919.

' 1,361,702. Patented Dec. 7, 1920.

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A. S. FALLS. I

LOOK

APPLICATION FILED APR. 14. 1919.

1,361,702. Patented Dec. 7, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEE T 2- I I J wmumllll @fl w UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER S. FALLS, OF GLENGOE, ILLINOIS.

VLOCK.

Application filed April 14,

of the latch when the latch and keeper are in looking engagement,so asto prevent the latch from being raised or otherwise disengaged from thekeeperby the use of unauthorized devices, such, for example, as byinserting a thin element, such as a knife blade, wire, or a piece ofcord between the keeper and the edge of the door to which the lock isapplied.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel latch keeper whichmay be readily applied and used in connection with new looks or with oldlocks, now in use without requiring changes to be made in the lockcasing or latch operating mechanism. In the preferred construction of myinvention provision is -made for compensating for the worn condition ofthe latch when the keeper is used in connection with an old lock.

The invention consists in the noveliarrangements, constructions andcombinations of parts for carrying out the above stated objects, andsuch other incidental objects as will appear from the followingdescription.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 isa fragmentary view of a bank tellers cage, showing a lockingdevice, con structed in accordance with my invention, applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the latch keeper shown in Fig. 1, the door andwall of the cage being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, taken from the inside of the cage;

Fig. 4 is a view, partly in section, of the lock and latch keeper shownin the pre- Spccification of Iletters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7, 1920.

1919. Serial No. 289,788.

ceding figures, the view being taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a section of the latch and keeper taken on line 66 of Fig. 4.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in the several figuresof the drawings.

In the drawings I have shown my invention in connection with a slidingdoor of the type usually employed for closing the door opening of a banktellers cage. It will be obvious, however, that the invention is notlimited in its application to this particular use or to the type of doorillustrated.

In the drawings, 10 designates the side wall of a bank tellers cagewhich is formed with the usual door opening 11 having a metallic door jamb 12. The door opening is closed preferably, though not necessarily,by a sliding 'door 13 which, in accordance with the usual construction,operates on the outside of the cage. This door consists of achannel-shaped frame 14 which is covered with a closure strip 15 andsupports the metallic mesh construction 16 of the door. The door carriesa lock which, for the purpose of convenience, is illustrated in thedrawings as being the most conventional type now used by manufacturersof bank teller cages. Thislock consists of a casing 17 having a latch 18pivoted thereon, as indicated at 19. The free end of the latch is formedwith the usual hook portion 20 which extends through a slot 21 in thelock casing. The latch is normally :held in looking position by means ofa spring 22 which is supported on a stud 23, so as to bear on the upperedge of the latch. When it is desired to open the door from the insideof the I the usual form of latch keeper, by simply inserting a thinelement, such as a wire, between the keeper and the edge of the door ina position whereby the latch may be raised or otherwise disengaged fromits locking engagement with the keeper. Another customary practice or"unlocking these doors is by raising the forward edge until the hookportion of the latch is freed from its engagement with the keeper. Theseirregularities are overcome and rendered impossible by the presentinvention by providing a latch keeper structure which completelyincloses the free end of the latch when the door is closed, so as toprevent the latch being raised by unauthorized elements, and also avoidsthe possibility of unlocking the door by raising the forward edgethereof. My improved latch keeper structure consists of a hollowboX-likeelement having an opening 28 in its side through which the hookportion 20 of the latch extends, the upper and lower edges of saidopenings providing catches 29, 30, for engaging the latch. The element28 of the keeper is reversibly secured within a housing 31 by means ofscrews 32, 32. WVhen the keeper is applied in connection with a newlook, the element 28 is positioned in the housing 31 so that the edge 29will provide the necessary catch forthe hook 20 of the latch. applied toan old lock in which the hook portion of the latch is somewhat worn, theelement 28 is inverted from the position shown in Fig. 4, so that theedge 30.will provide the catch for the latch. \Vith this construction,it is possible to readily apply the keeper in the place of an old one,and maintain a close fit between the various elements. The housing 31 isprovided with ears 33 which may be secured to the door jamb 12 by meansof screws 34: or other suitable form of attaching elements. The upperand lowerv ends of the housing ele' ment 31 are cut away as indicated at35, 36, so as to provide guideways 37 for the forward edge of the door,as indicated in Figs. 2 and 5. This construction prevents the door frombeing sprung outwardly from the walls of the cage when the door isclosed. The vertical edges of the element 28 are rounded, as indicatedat'38, to provide guides for directing the end of the latch into theinterior of said element. In order to prevent any possibility of thelatchbeing raised by the use of a wire, as above referred to, a hollowsealing element 39 surrounds the outer end of thelatch and has atelescopic relation with the element 28 when. the door is locked. Theinner surfaces 40, 41, of the side and end walls of this element areformed with a taper which serves asa guide for'the door when it is beingclosed, and minimizes the clearance between the walls of the elements28, 39, so as to prevent any possibility hen it is,

into the face of the door frame between the flanges of the'channelelement 14:. The element 39 is secured to the door by means of screws43, 4:4. 7

While I have shown and described my invention in one specificembodiment, it will be obvious that modifications in. structure might bemade without departure from the spirit of my invention. i therefore donot wish to limit myself to the exact structure shown, except in. so faras expressly limited by certain of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The-combination of a lock having a pivoted latch element, and akeeper adapted to be engaged by said latch comprising a housing, a catchelement supported within said housing, and a seal element adapted tohave a telescoping relation with said housing and catch element. 7 I

2. The combination of a lock having a pivoted late-h element, and akeeper adapted to be engaged by said latch comprising .a housing, awatch element secured within said housing in spaced relation to the sidewalls thereof, and a seal element provided with flanges which surroundthe outer end of Said latch and adapted to extend into the space betweenthe walls of the housing and said catch element.

The combination of a lock having a pivoted latch element, and a keeperadapted to be engaged'by said latch comprising a housing, a catchelementformed with a pluraiity of catches and secured within saidhousing in spaced relation to the side walls thereof, and a seal elementprovidedv with flanges which surround the outer endof said latch andadapted to extend into the space between the walls of the housing andsaid catch element. a

el. The combination of a lock having a pivoted latch element, and akeeper adapted to be engaged by said latch comprising a housing, a catchelement formed with a plurality of catches and secured within saidhousing in spaced relation to the side walls thereof, and a seal elementhaving tapered inner surfaceswhich provide guides having a telescopicrelation with the walls of said catch element.

5. The combination of a lock having a pivoted latch and a latch keepercomprising a housing, a catch element provided with catches of differentthickness and detachably secured within said housingso that its positionmay be readily reversed, and aseal element having a telescopic relationwith the wallsoI" said catch andhousing member.

6. The combination with a door, of a lock for said door having a pivotedlatch, a keeper device adapted to be engaged by said latch when the dooris closed, comprising a housing having its ends recessed to provideguides for the edge of the door, and a combined guiding and seatingelement having flanges which have a telescopic relation with the wallsof said housing.

7. The combination with a door, of a lock for said door having a pivotedlatch, a keeper device adapted to be engaged by said latch when the dooris closed comprising a housing having its ends recessed to provideguides for the edge of the door, a catch element reversibly supportedwithin the housing in spaced relation to the side of the housing, and aseal element formed with flanges adapted to extend into the spacebetween the walls of said catch and housing elements when the door isclosed.

8. The combination with a slide door, of a lock on said door providedwith a pivoted latch, a latch keeper supported in a fixed position withrelation to said door comprising a housing and a catch member supportedtherein in spaced relation to the side walls,

and a sealing element carried by the door and provided with flangeswhich project into the space between said catch and housing members. 7

9. The combination with a slide door, of a lock on said door providedwith a pivoted latch, a latch keeper supported in a fixed position withrelation to said door comprising a housing and a catch member supportedtherein in spaced relation to the side walls, and a sealing elementcarried by the door and provided with flanges which project into thespace between said catch and housing members, said element surroundingthe outer end of said latch and having a flanged portion which is seatedinto the Vertical edge of the door.

10. The combination of a lock having a pivoted latch, and a latch keepercomprising a reversible housing, a catch element provided with catchesof diflerent thickness and detachably secured within said housing sothat its position may be readily reversed, and a seal element having atelescopic relation with the walls of said catch and housing member.

ALEXANDER S. FALLS.

